Request for Assistance (RFA) RFA #: FY15-Consultant Canvas Development - 2 Issued on: July 13, 2017 For: Development services to support the implementation of an open-source instance of the Canvas LMS Period of Performance: August 7, 2017 October 31, 2017 Application Deadline: July 21, 2017 by 5:00 PM Washington DC Time FHI 360 Brief Background: FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Our staff includes experts in health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, civil society, gender, youth, research and technology, creating a unique mix of capabilities to address today s interrelated development challenges. FHI 360 serves more than 70 countries and all U.S. states and territories. American English (AE) Teacher Program Background: The AE E-Teacher Program is funded by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Office of English Language Programs (ECA/A/L). The program offers online, university-level professional development opportunities in the field of TESOL to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers around the world. These professional development opportunities expose participants to U.S. student-centered teaching techniques, give insight into U.S. culture and values, and foster opportunities to increase global awareness and understanding. The program endeavors to make professional development opportunities accessible to a wide range of participants, particularly those in low-resource and low-bandwidth contexts.
Purpose FHI 360 has worked with a vendor on the on-going design and implementation of a mobileresponsive and low-bandwidth friendly online portal that serves the needs of AE E-Teacher stakeholders, including ECA/A/L, U.S. embassies and posts abroad, participants, and academic content providers. The portal facilitates participant nomination, registration and tracking, as well as providing access to a Community of Practice (CoP) and a learning management system (LMS). Single sign-on allows registered users to access the CoP and LMS. The nomination and registration system is Drupal-based, and the LMS is an open source instance of Instructure s Canvas LMS. FHI 360 is soliciting a developer to assist with the configuration of the program s Canvas instance to maximize functionality with large numbers of participants, customize settings, and integrate the LMS with other portal components. The selected consultant would also be available on-call to provide support during peak periods of program activity expected during the fall term (September October). In addition to 15 courses (400 participants), the program will offer a massive open online course (MOOC) to an unlimited number of learners. Scope of Work At the direction of FHI 360 s project team, the selected consultant will work with FHI 360 s contracted vendor to: Review the server configuration, database installation and configuration, code and dependency installations, and configuration of other aspects of the AE E-Teacher Canvas instance; Recommend adjustments to maximize the performance of the current configuration and installation; Perform development tasks required to optimize performance; Evaluate specific issues such as gradebook crashes with large cohorts, etc. and recommend and perform customizations; Provide on-call support for critical outages or performance issues during peak periods of the fall term (September October). Submission Requirements FHI 360 is requesting interested Applicants to provide the items below by e-mail to aeeteacher@fhi360.org, by 5:00 pm EST on July 21, 2017. Applications received after this date and time will not be considered. Submit items 1 3 in PDF format, and item 4 in an unlocked Excel spreadsheet.
1. Up-to-date CV: Include relevant applications development experience such as experience with cloudbased environments, website design, database installation and configuration, and LMS development. 2. Past Project Descriptions and References (2-3 pages): Describe, in detail, past LMS development and integration projects. In addition to size and scope, indicate the LMS platform, dependencies installed, customizations performed, etc. Include a client reference for each project with the name, company or organization, phone number and e-mail address. 3. On-call Support Proposal (1 page): Provide description of approach to on-call support, including response times for issues reported during normal working hours, and issues reported on weekends. 4. Budget Estimate: Please provide your hourly rate in USD and an estimate of hours and total cost for each of the tasks described in the scope of work, including an estimate for on-call hours during the months of September and October. Submit the budget estimate in Microsoft Excel. Eligibility To be minimally eligible for funding under a consultant agreement, applicants must comply with the following conditions: Applicant must submit their application in English Contract Mechanism A consultant agreement will be executed with the individual responsive applicant whose quote submission will be evaluated as most advantageous to FHI 360 and ECA/A/L. Applicants will not be compensated for preparation of response to this consultant solicitation or subsequent quotes, nor is the issuing of this solicitation a guarantee that FHI 360 and ECA/A/L will award a consultant agreement. The consultant agreement will be administered in accordance with the applicable donor regulations. Criteria/Qualifications for Evaluation Submissions in response to this solicitation will be reviewed according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are weighted as follows: Consultant Qualifications Minimum eligibility, and experience with LMS development will be evaluated. (40%) On-call Support Approach Acceptable level of responsiveness will be evaluated. (40%) Cost Estimate Both hourly rate and level of effort to perform tasks will be evaluated. (20%)
Terms and Conditions Applicants are responsible for review of the terms and conditions described below: Withdrawal of Applications Applicants may withdraw applications by written notice via email received at any time before award. Applications may be withdrawn in person by an applicant s authorized representative, if the representative s identity is made known and the representative signs a receipt for the proposal before award. Right to Select/Reject FHI 360 reserves the right to select and negotiate with those consultants it determines, in its sole discretion, to be qualified for competitive proposals and to terminate negotiations without incurring any liability. FHI 360 also reserves the right to reject any or all applications received without explanation. Disclaimer This RFA represents only a definition of requirements. It is merely an invitation for submission of applications and does not legally obligate FHI 360 to accept any of the submitted applications in whole or in part, nor is FHI 360 obligated to select the lowest priced proposal. FHI 360 reserves the right to negotiate with any or all consultants, both with respect to price, cost and/or scope of services. FHI 360 has no contractual obligations with any consultants based upon issuance of this RFA. It is not an offer to an agreement. Only the execution of a written/signed agreement shall obligate FHI 360 in accordance with the terms and conditions contained in such contract. False Statements in Offer Consultants must provide full, accurate and complete information as required by this solicitation and its attachments. Reserved Rights All RFA responses become the property of FHI 360 and FHI 360 reserves the right in its sole discretion to: Disqualify any offer based on subcontractor failure to follow solicitation instructions. Waive any deviations by consultants from the requirements of this solicitation that in FHI 360's opinion are considered not to be material defects requiring rejection or disqualification; or where such a waiver will promote increased competition. Extend the time for submission of all RFA responses after notification to all applicants. Terminate or modify the RFA process at any time and re-issue the RFA to whomever FHI 360 deems appropriate. Issue an award based on the initial evaluation of offers without discussion. Award only part of the activities in the solicitation or issue multiple awards based on solicitation activities. FHI 360 will not be able to compensate applicants for preparation of their response to this RFA. Issuing this RFA is not a guarantee that FHI 360 will award a purchase order.
FHI 360 may choose to award a purchase order to more than one applicant for specific parts of the activities in the RFA.